The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-27
PASQUAL'S PYRE.
Weird Scenes at the Cremation of the
Old Yuma Chieftain.

Yuma "a. IT, cor. San Francisco Examiner.
Pasqual, the famous Yuma chief, who
died on the night of May 8, was a remark
able man, particularly noted for his intelli-
gence, courage and physical strength. In
this respect he ranks far above Cochise,
Mana, Geronimo and other chiefs of the
Arizona tribes
But little of his history can be obtained
here. Gen. Heintzelman made him chief in
1851, when he established Fort Yuma, and
with the exception of some difficulties with
the whites between the years 1852 and 1856,
Pasqual had been friendly and peaceful. He
was just and fair-minded Indian himself,
and often enforced discipline and obedience
upon refractory Indians of his tribe by the
bastinado, He was never known to drink
or steal For several days before his death
Pasqual, wan and emaciated, fully knowing
that the end was close at hand, never fault
cred or lost courage.
DEATH-BED SCENES.
He was laid upon his rude bed, surrounded
night and day by squaws, who kept up an
lncessSant wailing that was weird and I'M
earthly in the extreme. The end came on
the night of May 8, and during the remain
der of the night the older Indians COM
pleted the arrangements for his cremation,
most of which had been made before.
and caught the horses that were to be
slaughtered to accompany the chief to his
future home
Bright and early yesterday morning many
Yuma ladies and gentlemen repaired to the
Indian village TO witness the curious and
barbara cremation ceremonies. The village,
situated directly west of the bills upon which
the forts are built ON the California shore of
the Colorado, was in the midst of q fat,
vii "a H,,pb
cottonwood trees, which grew abundantly.
Among these their rude huts or wickiups
were scattered.
CREMATION CEREMONIES
The entire tribe had been notified, and
several hundred Yumas assembled about the
funeral pile. This was formed by digging a
V-shaped hole seven feet long by three feet
wide. Along its sides large sticks of dry
wood were placed upright Between these
sticks beds of twigs and brush were heaped,
and upon this the body, well swathed in
ashes, and thick canvas covering. Then
short, dry wood was piled up until the pyre
reached seven feet in height. Then the
worldly possessions of the old chief, CON-
prising an old-fashioned trunk, quilts, blank
cts, knives, bows and arrows, calico, gun
and variety of other things
Two fine young horses, gayly rugged in
bright-colored trappings, were brought to
Une pie, alongside which their graves were
dug. Just before applying the torch the
brutes were knocked in the head with axes,
disemboweled and thrown into their graves,
and as the last shovel of dirt fell upon them,
the torch was applied and the dense smoke
and flames rose heavenward.
During the ceremony the bucks and
squaws grouped about the funeral pile kept
up solemn, heart-rending cries and wailing,
the anguish and sorrow of which could be
heard for long distance Several young
boys holding bows and arrows, with fanci-
fully designed head-gear of red flannel and
feathers, assisted actively.
AN EXTRAORDINARY SCENE.
Many Indians threw their most valuable
possessions into the flames. A buck threw
his watch, squaws their ornaments and
calico, and children and men their weapons.
The older squaws were in most cases near
ly nude, as were many Of the older bucks.
The entire scene was extraordinary and i'm
pressive
Several days will elapse before the election
of successor to Pasqual tits thought that
an Englishspeaking Indian will be selected.
The other Indians generally officiated, and
several fearful speeches were made, which,
though unintelligible to the whites, inva-
riably ended with the cry, "Pasqual!
Pasqual!"
This, with the cremation of the Yumas
recently dying with measles, has practically
bankrupted the tribe.
1t is feared that papers Of great historical
interest belonging to Pasqual and received
by him at various times during his long and
varied career have been destroyed with his
DIV